Envelope printing system

A system for printing envelopes, comprising:

• a. a printer, said printer including a media input slot on one side of said printer and means positioned within said input slot for picking up and delivering said envelopes from said input slot to a printing area within said printer;
• b. an envelope feeder positioned adjacent to said printer, said feeder including only one means for conveying envelopes in a downstream direction, and wherein said feeder further includes a downstream end positioned adjacent to said input slot such that envelopes moving downstream are forced by said conveying means to aggregate into a horizontal stack of envelopes at said pickup assembly means;
• c. sensor means positioned at said pickup assembly for determining the number of envelopes held in said aggregated stack of envelopes at said pickup assembly means;
• d. said printing system including communication means from said printer to said feeder for controlling the movement of said envelopes in said feeder;
• and,
• e. wherein said sensor means and communication means cause said conveyor means to force said envelopes downstream at a rate such that said aggregated envelope stack at said pickup assembly means is maintained at a pre-selected number of envelopes as said printer conveys envelopes from said pickup assembly means to said printing area within said printer.

A method for printing envelopes using a printer and an adjacently positioned envelope feeder having a single conveyor, comprising the steps of:

• a. loading envelopes on said envelope feeder;
• b. advancing only a single conveyor within said envelope feeder supporting said envelopes in a downstream direction until a horizontally oriented stack of envelopes is forced to be aggregated in a pickup assembly positioned in said printer to a predetermined number of envelopes;
• c. initiating printing in said printer such that envelopes are removed from said aggregated stack;
• d. after said printing initiating step, monitoring the height of said stack with sensors in said printer and advancing said single conveyor through a communications link such that said single conveyor movement forces additional envelopes in a downstream direction to replenish said aggregated stack at a rate that maintains a predetermined range of envelopes in said aggregated stack;
• and,
• e. monitoring said aggregated stack of envelopes with a sensor in said printer and sending a signal to a control circuit upon depletion of said stack to zero number of envelopes.